Had a client in Springfield who insisted we save a squirrel nest from a dead oak

The tree was a total hazard, but she made us spend three hours with a pole saw carefully lowering the nest, which was empty, into a box she provided. She then drove it to a wildlife rehab center 40 miles away, only for them to tell her it was an old, abandoned nest. What's the weirdest 'save the wildlife' request you've gotten on a removal job?

3 comments

3 Comments

harper91418d ago

Totally get that, @claire_grant34.

claire_grant3418d ago

Ever notice how people get weirdly attached to the idea of a home, even for animals? I saw a neighbor stop a gutter cleaning to save a wasp nest that was long dead. Another time a guy wanted us to carefully move a pile of leaves because a frog might be in it, but it was just wet mulch. Feels like we're trying to make up for all the habitat we destroy by saving every single thing, even when it doesn't need saving.

blakestone18d ago

Yeah that's a really good point from claire_grant34. It's like we're so aware of the big damage we do that we overcorrect on the small stuff, almost like a weird guilt ritual. Saving a dead wasp nest doesn't bring back a forest, but it lets someone feel like they did a good thing for the day. Makes you wonder if that energy would be better spent pushing for a local park or something bigger.